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Black-and-yellow Mud Dauber

I had the great fortune to cross paths with one of our most spectacular wasps the other day. Black-and yellow Mud Daubers are big, charismatic, and incredibly showy. And total bad**ses to boot!

Many people know the mud daubers by their distinctive adobe nests plastered under eaves and elsewhere on buildings, bridges and other structures. Far fewer probably get to - or want to! - observe them hunting. But hunt they do, at least the females, and that's what the one above is doing. I apologize for the somewhat fuzzy photos, but when in pursuit of prey, mud daubers are in constant motion and it is work to hang with them and get a perfect shot.

This is a striking insect, with its gloss-black abdomen and thorax set off by bright yellow legs and hash marks on the thorax. The bulbous abdomen is connected to the rest of the insect by an impossibly slender petiolate extension; this bug is truly wasp-waisted!

So, what do Black-and-yellow Mud Daubers hunt? Spiders! I told you, these wasps are true tough guys; the terminators of the insect world. Chances are, you scream and shout if you find a spider in your house. Mud daubers look for them. Wasps in spider-hunting mode are a marvel to watch, as they methodically scurry through the vegetation, often walking upside down under the leaves as that's where spiders sometimes hide.

Some spider-hunting wasps seem to work the ground primarily, looking for wolf spiders. Others, such as this one, seem to go after the more arboreal spider species and are more often found hunting in foliage.

It seems somewhat extraordinary that a wasp would confront and attack a spider, and often species that are quite large. In reality, I suspect the spider doesn't even have a chance. I once saw a ground-burrowing spider wasp, Entypus unifasciatus, take out a big wolf spider right in front of my eyes. I don't think the spider even knew what hit it, so rapidly did the wasp move.

Nursery Web Spider, Pisaurina mira, probably a common prey item for Black-and-yellow Mud Daubers, as this spider frequents low-growing plants and is common.

So, what does the wasp do with the spider? Eat it? Well, yes and no. To be a spider and successfully be bagged by a mud dauber is truly a fate worse than death. When the dauber encounters a suitable spider, it is on it fast as a wink, and jabs the victim with a formidable stinger. Like a hypodermic explosion, it pumps a strong neurotoxin into the spider, which almost instantly disables it. Within seconds, if that, our spider is rendered immobile.

The wasp - quite a powerful brute! - then airlifts its prey back to the nest.

Photo: Tim Daniel, Ohio Division of Wildlife.

Pipe Organ Mud Dauber nest. Black-and-yellow Mud Dauber nests are somewhat similar but more globular, and used for the same purpose. In the above photo, part of the nest has been rasped open, exposing the crypt chambers within. Each chamber is provisioned with spiders - paralyzed spiders. Once Mrs. Dauber has filled a crypt, she lays an egg inside and seals it. When Junior hatches, the wasp grub is assured of fresh meat to feast upon.

Mud daubers have their own worries, though. A number of other species of insects, including a cuckoo wasp, attempt to slip into the nest undetected and lay their eggs within. If successful, the parasite's eggs will hatch first and it will feast on the crypt's contents, including apparently the egg or grub of the dauber.

But if all goes well, a gorgeous, big black and yellow wasp will emerge, the end product of what is certainly one of the oddest, most ghoulish life cycles in nature.

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PHOTO WORKSHOPS 2018!!

In partnership with expert photographer Debbie DiCarlo (learn about her work HERE), I will be co-leading a series of one-day and multi-day photo workshops in 2018, all in Ohio, with the exception of fabulous excursions to Pennsylvania and Costa Rica. All skill levels are welcome - especially new to intermediate photographers. In addition to learning photographic techniques for various facets of natural history - birds, insects, other animals, plants, landscapes, night skies, and more - we'll learn LOTS about natural history. Each and every trip will offer many chances to see and photograph flora and fauna that most people don't get to see - or even know exists! The more one knows about nature, the better a nature photographer they'll become! Both Debbie and I love to work with people to help improve photography skills, and would welcome you to attend any of our workshops.

For an overview of all workshops, with thorough descriptions, CLICK HERE. Also, listed below is each DiCarlo/McCormac workshop, with a hotlink to a complete description and registration information:

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About Me

I am a lifelong Ohioan who has made a study of natural history since the age of eight or so - longer than I can remember! A fascination with birds has grown into an amazement with all of nature, and an insatiable curiosity to learn more. One of my major ambitions is to get more people interested in nature. The more of us who care, the more likely that our natural world will survive.

About the photos, and permission to use

All photographs (unless otherwise noted) on these web pages are the exclusive property of Jim McCormac, and are protected under United States and International copyright laws. The photographs may not be copied, reproduced, stored, distributed or manipulated without written permission. All rights are reserved.

All photographs are available for purchase. If interested in an image(s), please feel free to contact me at: jimmccormac35 AT gmail.com

If you contact me requesting free photos, the reply may be long in coming :-)

I've been taking photographs for a few decades, but never became fully engaged in photography until 2003. That's when I got my first digital camera. Since then, photography has become a passion and a steadily growing addiction. If you delve back far enough into this blog, you will see photos that were made with a variety of Panasonic point & shoot bridge cameras. Then came a Canon Rebel DSLR, followed by a Nikon D7000. I've since returned to Canon, and use their gear exclusively. My camera bodies are a Canon 5DS-R, 5D IV, and 7D II - all are awesome cameras, each with their primary use.

The lens bag includes a number of Canon lenses that collectively cover most bases, ranging from macro to super telephotos. I do lots of macro, and my typical flash gear is the Canon Twin-Lite setup, or sometimes a diffused Canon 600 speedlite. If the gear needs three-legged stabilization, it is mounted on either an Induro tripod, attached to an Induro Gimbal head, or a Gitzo 3542 tripod and Wimberly WH-200 head. Finally, I've got a GoPro Hero, which is fully waterproof and can be used for underwater work. Sometimes I even use the camera or video feature on my iPhone 7 smartphone - it's amazing how good phone cameras have become.